The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of foot reflexology on ankle brachial index, diabetic peripheral neuropathy and glycemic control in older adults with diabetes.
A randomized controlled, parallel-group trial study was conducted at the outpatient elderly health center in Bolu, Turkey. 48 adults aged 65 and over enrolled in the elderly health center were randomized into two groups in a ratio of 11 (experimental, n=24; control, n=24). Foot reflexology was performed for 12-week in the experimental group, whereas the control group continued their routine treatment and follow-up. The outcome measures included (1) ankle brachial index, (2) diabetic peripheral neuropathy measured by a comprehensive foot exam, and (3) glycemic control by a glycated hemoglobin A blood test at baseline and after 12 weeks.
Post-test diabetic peripheral neuropathy scores (p&lt;0.001) and glycated hemoglobin A levels (p=0.002) decreased in the experimental group and increased in the control group. There was no significant between-group difference regarding post-test ankle brachial index scores (p=0.726). Foot reflexology had a medium effect size on diabetic peripheral neuropathy (95% confidence interval 0.003-2.24; d=0.51; p&lt;0.001) and glycated hemoglobin A (95% confidence interval 0.72-1.22; d=0.52; p=0.002).
A foot reflexology practice can be a useful for improving the glycemic control and diabetic peripheral neuropathy in the older adults with diabetes.
NCT04416503.
NCT04416503.This study sought to determine the most common oral herbal formula for menopausal symptoms in classical Chinese medicine textbooks and investigate its clinical effectiveness and potential mechanisms of action.
The most common formula used for menopause-like symptoms in past eras was identified from the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was undertaken and findings from relevant experimental studies were summarized.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.) and jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) formula (LJF) was used in 63 of the 175 citations (36%) in the classical literature. Evidence from four RCTs showed that while LJF may improve sleep symptoms, there is insufficient evidence to provide recommendations for clinical practice. Experimental studies showed sedative, antidepressant-like, estrogenic and antiprogestogenic actions.
LJF has a long history of use for menopause-like symptoms, but further research is needed to confirm its clinical effects and guide clinical decision-making.
LJF has a long history of use for menopause-like symptoms, but further research is needed to confirm its clinical effects and guide clinical decision-making.The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic demands a novel approach to combat and identify potential therapeutic targets. The SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a hyperimmune response followed by a spectrum of diseases. Limonoids are a class of triterpenoids known to prevent the release of IL-6, IL-15, IL-1α, IL-1β via TNF and are also known to modulate PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β, JNK1/2, MAPKp38, ERK1/2, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways and could help to avoid viral infection, persistence, and pathogenesis. The present study employs a computational approach of virtual screening and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of such compounds against RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), Main protease (Mpro), and Papain-like protease (PLpro) of SARS-CoV-2. MD simulation, Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM/PBSA), and Essential dynamics revealed that the macromolecule-ligand complexes are stable with very low free energy of binding. Such compounds that could modulate both host responses and inhibit viral machinery could be beneficial in effectively controlling the global pandemic.Boron carbide nanosheets (BC3NSs) are semiconductors possessing non-zero bandgap. Nevertheless, there is no estimation of their thermal conductivity for practical circumstances, mainly because of difficulties in simulation of random polycrystalline structures. In the real physics world, BC3NS with perfect monocrystalline is rare, for the nature produces structures with disordered grain regions. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to capture a more realistic picture of thermal conductivity of these nanosheets. Polycrystalline BC3NS (PCBC3NSs are herein simulated by Molecular Dynamics simulation to take their thermal conductivity fingerprint applying ΔT of 40 K. A series of PCBC3NSs were evaluated for thermal conductivity varying the number of grains (3, 5, and 10). The effect of grain rotation was also modeled in terms of Kapitza thermal resistance per grain, varying the rotation angle (θ/2 = 14.5, 16, 19, and 25°). https://www.selleckchem.com/products/iwr-1-endo.html Overall, a non-linear temperature variation was observed for PCBC3NS, particularly by increasing grain number, possibly because of more phonon scattering (shorter phonon relaxation time) arising from more structural defects. By contrast, the heat current passing across the slab decreased. The thermal conductivity of nanosheet dwindled from 149 W m-1 K-1 for monocrystalline BC3NS to the values of 129.67, 121.32, 115.04, and 102.78 W m-1 K-1 for PCBC3NSs having 2, 3, 5, and 10 grains, respectively. The increase of the grain?s rotation angle (randomness) from 14.5° to 16°, 19° and 25° led to a rise in Kapitza thermal resistance from 2?10-10 m2 K?W-1 to the values of 2.3? 10-10, 2.9?10-10, and 4.7? 10-10 m2 K?W-1, respectively. Thus, natural 2D structure would facilitate phonon scattering rate at the grain boundaries, which limits heat transfer across polycrystalline nanosheets.Graphene, having a perfect two-dimensional crystal structure, has many excellent features such as a high specific surface area, and extraordinary electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. However, its usage in electronic devices is possible only if band gap of desired value is induced in this gapless semi-metal. Therefore, first principle calculations have been carried out to investigate the role of oxygen (O) doping versus adsorption and, the impurity concentration and coverage to induce band gap in graphene employing PBE at GGA level. The band gap is induced owing to production of vacancies, dissociative adsorption of oxygen, subsituational doping and pre-dissociated oxygen adsorption. It is interesting to note that band gap is introduced by both the processes of doping and adsorption of O. The oxygen doping leads to induction of two energy gaps, smaller in value above and larger below the Fermi level; while adsorption irrespective of adsorption configuration produces single direct gap. Increase both in concentration and coverage leads to enhance band gap value maximum being 1.